My work at Boaz

Lieve vrienden, 

Warme groeten uit het koude Engeland! Ook hier is het beginnen vriezen, voorlopig nog zonder sneeuw, maar wel al aangekondigd... Wat apprecieer ik des te meer al wat warm is deze dagen! :-) 

Hopelijk kan ook onderstaande tekst wat hartverwarmend werken, het schrijven ervan werkte in elk geval vor mij op deze manier. JVC vroeg mij iets te schrijven voor hun nieuwsbrief over het werk dat ik doe, en ik moet zeggen dat het mij echt geholpen heeft om opnieuw te beseffen hoe dankbaar ik ben deel te mogen uitmaken van dit team, en gewoon dit werk te mogen doen. Of hoe een stap terugzetten je soms echt kan helpen om weer het totale plaatje te zien, en de waarde van de dingen te ontdekken...

Liefs!

Benedicte

To me my work at Boaz Trust can only be described as a gift: one of the most beautiful ones that I ever received. As Boaz Trust serves destitute asylum seekers I find here a great opportunity to explore and live the value of social justice. Every day again I enter the office with a smile on my face: feeling and breathing the air of a place where humanity reigns is such a blessing. At Boaz the clients are not just asylum seekers, but brothers and sisters, sharing the same humanity.

I will not deny that it can be very tough at times: you come across the most horrible stories of torture and inhumanity. More than once I struggled with the feeling 'that I really can not do this'. But precisely in these moments Boaz teaches me the most, by the way that all things here are grounded in faith and trust in God. Working here is for me therefore a gift, that makes me grow in faith, hope and love.

First of all it are I think the clients themselves who teach me what it means to really love and be loved. As I sit most of the time at the reception of the organisation I have lots of contacts with the clients. It is so beautiful and heart-warming to see how the bond of trust is growing. I try to make them feel welcome when they enter the door of the office, but I realize that often they give me so much more in return... a spontaneous hug, or some words right from the heart can really make my day!

How strange it may sound: beside that I even experience a lot of hope at this placement. I can only admire the power, the strength and the hope of our clients. Although I know that their experience goes beyond all imagination I often try to realize what they are going through: horrible experiences of persecution and torture in their home countries, having to leave all family and friends behind, being refused in a country where they had hoped being welcome, living in destitution, in a constant fear and uncertainty about their future, … When I see them, despite all this, still smiling and enjoying themselves during our activities, it makes me strongly believe that nothing is impossible if you have hope...

...and faith. Facing such inhumanity is a challenge of faith, but so much more a gift! I experience here every day that where there seems nothing but powerlessness left- no family, no home, no future- God is even more strongly present. I see this happening in our clients, but within the team as well. We start every day with a prayer, to ask for Gods presence, strength and love for the events of the present day. However powerless we still feel, we then can have trust, because it is not longer only we at work, but His power through us...

For this amazing gift of faith, hope and love:

thank you Boaz! :-)